January 2021 Feature Release - The Infinite Edition
So we've now managed to rid ourselves of the pathetic excuse for a year that was 2020 which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We're really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don't be shy.
This month's feature release for The Infinite is 2001's classic fourth album "Terria" from Canadian progressive metal champion Devin Townsend. Devin had achieved great heights with his 1997 debut album "Biomech" & consolidated nicely with 1998's sophomore effort "Infinity" however 2000's "Physicist" had failed to command the same level of adoration so the pressure was on to create a release of greater significance with his next record. How did Devin fair? Well I have some strong feelings on that topic so I'll be interested to hear what you've all got to say on the matter.
https://metal.academy/releases/1082
I actually didn't enjoy "Terria" much on my first encounter with it back in 2009 & have subsequently given it the cold shoulder ever since. After giving it a few spins over the last couple of days I can easily see why I struggled with it initially too as it takes me well outside of my musical comfort zone into some fairly uplifting, joyous & at times quite quirky spaces. Those terms are generally the polar opposite of where my taste bracket lies but I'm glad that I've given the album another chance this week because I feel like I've started to discover its charms. The glistening production, high quality performances & expansive prog rock inspired sound are no doubt impressive & any fanatical music fan is likely to give in to them eventually. In saying that though, I don't think that I can say honestly that I regard any of the tracklisting as a genuine classic which was certainly not the case with an album like Devin's "Ocean Machine: Biomech" debut which is a personal favourite of mine. I just don't think the hooks are strong enough (with the possible exception of "Stagnant" which is still a touch too cheesy to claim classic status). On the other hand, the tracklisting is generally very consistent with only the closing hidden track "Humble" representing any sort of failure. And a significant failure it is too because I ended up dropping my score a half mark due to the fact that I couldn't get my five & a half minutes of wasted time back after having to endure that artistic travesty. Overall, I can't say I'm likely to be returning to "Terria" all that often but it's definitely proven a point to me & I've enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would.
For fans of Porcupine Tree, Leprous & Haken.
3.5/5
I'd be interested to hear others' strong thoughts because, turns out, I have some unexpected strong thoughts about Terria as well.
I've known about Devin for almost a decade now but only really started to delve into his other stuff after Empath came out in the beginning of 2019. I was aware and listening to stuff off of Transcendence and City, but didn't go back to the likes of Biomech or Terria until mid-2019 and early 2020. Biomech has become one of my favorites, no surprise there, but I was kind of taken aback by how much love Terria gets compared to the rest of his discography, at least on sites like RYM. Even though Biomech saw Devin experimenting with his initial "wall of dreamy sound" shtick, Terria is where he really brings his unique style into what people know him for and...it doesn't do a whole lot honestly.
Yeah it's a massive sounding, dreamy soundscape of echoing bits and bobs with Devin's signature vocal lines and quirks, but I always find myself bored by this album. None of the songs stick out to me at all, it's not memorable, it just...sounds nice? I mean, it sounds nice enough for me to give it a 4/5 just because I do really like Devin Townsend in a pretty biased way, but I really don't see how this is considered to be one of his best. The choruses and hooks are corny and weird even for Devin, like him screaming "RECYCLE" and "It's your birthday, it's on Earth Day!", which have almost no zing to them whatsoever. At least on Empath's "Why?" I can chuckle at how ridiculous Devin's lyrics are since he plays them up so much, but it's like Terria exists in this weird middle ground where I'm not sure whether I should be taking him seriously or not.
I'll give it a few more spins and probably tackle a full review for it, since it's such a strange blip on Devin's discography for me. It might be my most overrated 4, looking back. Might have to lower it after more thought.
4/5
I actually didn't enjoy "Terria" much on my first encounter with it back in 2009 & have subsequently given it the cold shoulder ever since. After giving it a few spins over the last couple of days I can easily see why I struggled with it initially too as it takes me well outside of my musical comfort zone into some fairly uplifting, joyous & at times quite quirky spaces. Those terms are generally the polar opposite of where my taste bracket lies but I'm glad that I've given the album another chance this week because I feel like I've started to discover its charms. The glistening production, high quality performances & expansive prog rock inspired sound are no doubt impressive & any fanatical music fan is likely to give in to them eventually. In saying that though, I don't think that I can say honestly that I regard any of the tracklisting as a genuine classic which was certainly not the case with an album like Devin's "Ocean Machine: Biomech" debut which is a personal favourite of mine. I just don't think the hooks are strong enough (with the possible exception of "Stagnant" which is still a touch too cheesy to claim classic status). On the other hand, the tracklisting is generally very consistent with only the closing hidden track "Humble" representing any sort of failure. And a significant failure it is too because I ended up dropping my score a half mark due to the fact that I couldn't get my five & a half minutes of wasted time back after having to endure that artistic travesty. Overall, I can't say I'm likely to be returning to "Terria" all that often but it's definitely proven a point to me & I've enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would.
For fans of Porcupine Tree, Leprous & Haken.
3.5/5
Though it looks like you didn't enjoy a few parts of that album especially that "Humble" hidden track, Daniel, Terria seems fun enough a progressive metal album for me to try, and I do like Leprous and Haken. Another album to put in my review to-do list!
I did my review! Here's it's summary:
Normally I never plan on listening to any metal solo artists because I seem to have more appeal to full-group bands, and solo artists are usually mostly found in other genres besides metal, like...radio pop!! The other Devin Townsend album I've reviewed, Ziltoid the Omniscient, was good but other than that "solo artist" issue, it was far too comedic. Now we're at Terria...which is another one of the best albums created! It's perfectly heavy while being so soothingly atmospheric. Great for a relaxing drive! This is an album every listener must get, both progressive and open-minded audiences! You can't go your entire lifetime without listening to at least one song from this masterpiece. The main album has incredible songs ranging from heavy to uplifting, and I might share a few songs to my friend whom she likes this uplifting classic kind of rock! I agree that the hidden track "Humble" is a boring pointless track, but why should we include it as part of the album?! It's a hidden outro that you shouldn't let affect the album, like the outro at the end of Between the Buried and Me's Alaska! Just remove it, and the album would be perfect. So yeah, not including that pointless outro, Terria is a wonderful album and has now been made one of my favorite albums ever. If you wanna start your journey with Devin Townsend's music, this is where you gotta start. Highly recommended!
5/5 (without that outro, 5.5/5, if I could)
Also my last review before my 8-day break from reviewing, see here: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/650